The Remnants of Civilization and the Dawn of Anxiety2012

Two parallel films, unfolding simultaneously: a deadpan comedy about the problem of happiness. In THE REMNANTS OF CIVILIZATION, archeologist Karl unearths a lost civilization and meets his doppleganger. In THE DAWN OF ANXIETY, researcher Madeleine presents her utopian findings at the same academic conference while a shadowy figure skulks in the wings. Other topics include: boredom, misery, excruciating pain, sexo-cultural exchange, one-legged bears and prescription-strength canine narcotics.

One of the best American Indie films I have seen in a very long time. The director/writer not only provides a film that is humorous but one that is very intelligent both in it's humor and story. It's refreshing to see such care and dedication to a story with everything in the beginning, middle, and end coming together. Watch this film if you want to see a story that has a terrific payoff. The most original film I have seen since Being John Malkovich. The Remnants of Civilization & the Dawn of Anxiety is that good!

Holy shit! An American indie made within the last five years that has a strong directorial vision and a fresh sense of narrative structure. And I thought it no longer existed. Glad to be proven wrong -- a breath of fresh fucking air. Love the gems you can find on this site.

This was like a song in the round, a cyclical poem, a gyroscope spinning with the characters barely hanging on and always returning to the same theme; "Happiness Does Not Exist So Just Get As Close As You can."

Topics like the explanation for the origins of anxiety aligned with a quest for utopia are overlapped on characters attending a symposium, its lectures and exchanges therein. The characters and their preoccupations in a ubiquitous hotel setting for the conference, keep the conversations, direction, and message of the film unrooted, superficial. Any statement about happiness seems vague and lost in the execution.

A two-part (or, three, really, with the denouement) movie with each story intersecting at crucial points. I enjoyed the first segment best, perhaps because I'm a sucker for a thoughtful time-travel narrative. The second segment, though, disappointed. After a promising premise, the storyline seemed to fizzle out, problems were resolved too soon, and the film doesn't seem to know where to go afterwards. The denouement third part felt tacked on, like a Hollywood happy ending. Nice narrative idea, good editing, good acting, but ultimately disappointing.